This $65,000 Bowmore Whisky Has a Real Aston Martin DB5 Piston as a Bottle
Don’t you dare add any ice.
An automotive manufacturer collaborating with a whisky distillery may sound like an oxymoron on paper. To be sure, cars and liquor don't mix well. But both can be luxuries in life—the thrum of a vintage straight-six engine in your ear can stir the senses much like the smell of a fine spirit tickling your nostrils. Back in 2019, Aston Martin announced a collaboration with famed Scottish distillery Bowmore, and now we're seeing the first result of two storied companies putting their heads together: a $65,000 single malt scotch whisky with an Aston Martin DB5 piston integrated into the bottle.
Called the Black Bowmore DB5 1964, it hearkens back to a very good year for both Aston and Bowmore. That was the year the distillery installed its first steam boiler, ending its traditional use of coal fires to heat its stills. "Regular" Black Bowmore is already one of the rarer single malts out there, and it got its start on November 5, 1964 with that new boiler. It's only been bottled six times in over 50 years, making it one of the world's rarest hangovers.
That same year, Aston Martin was enjoying seeing the DB5 become an on-screen icon in the first James Bond movie
Goldfinger. To celebrate both triumphs from the past, Bowmore is releasing 25 bottles of the Black Bowmore.
To give you an idea of Bowmore whisky's exclusivity, only 6,000 bottles have been made available since 1993. Meanwhile, Jack Daniels sold over 13 million nine-liter cases in 2019 alone, according to Statista.
That scarcity alone makes a new run big news for whisky aficionados. But Aston Martin's involvement makes this round even more special thanks to the striking bottle, which is designed around a real engine piston from an Aston Martin DB5. The glass portion is handcrafted by Glasstorm and takes a whole week to finish. Presentation is everything, so the Black Bowmore DB5 1964 comes stored in a handmade box held in place by string-grain calfskin with a solid brass latch and hinge, plated in nickel. Additional extras for that you-could-buy-a-car price include a book detailing Bowmore's history tracing its roots back to 1779.
So yeah, this level of liquid luxury will set you back the equivalent of a cool $65,000 (£50,000) when it goes on sale later in fall 2020. Aston Martin and Bowmore plan on unveiling more products down the road, but in the meantime, one is left thinking. What sort of special occasion would one break open a bottle of Black Bowmore? Finishing a project car would be my guess. That would ensure it's got at least a few more years to age.
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